Cooling structure.



P. 'G. TOEPFBR.

. GOOLING'STRUGTURE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

PETER "Gf TOEPF'ER, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

. 'cQQLmc sERUo-TURE. l v

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 5, 190a. serialize. 409,540.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.-

-.'Zo all whom it may concern:

Be it 'known that I, PETER G. Tonrrnn, a

,: citizen gt the United States, and resident of Milwaukee," 1n thecounty of Milwaukee and .Stateof Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Cooling Structures; and I do hereby declare that the following we full, clear, and exact description thereof.

, My invention relates to cooling structures of. the kind reqi iring evaporation of water peculiarities of construction and combinae from an absorbent material for, reducing temperature therein; its object being to provide simple, econpmical and eflicient structures of the kind aforesaid, thesame being preferably knockdown. to facilitate transportation and storage.

Hence said invention consists in certain tion of parts herein set forth with reference to theaccompanying drawings and defined in the claims herewith. I

- 1 igure 1 of the drawings represents a vertical longitudinal section of a knockdown cooling structure in accordance with my invention, omitting the absorbent material employed in connection therewith, Fig. 2, an

elevation of the same partly in trans.-

. verse section and illr strating the application of said at sorbent material, Fig. 3, a hori zont'al section of a fragment of the structure,

this view being indicated by lines 33 in Fig. 1, and Hg. 4, a plan view of another fragment of said structure.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates each 'of the end walls-of a cooling structure embodying my improvements,

these walls being of suitably fbent sheet metal, preferably galvanized iron, and hollow. The walls are preferably contracted at the top and bottom to stiffen the same and economize space with reference to their enfiagement with stay frames and spring-clips ereinafter more particularly specified.

Each stay-frame B is a suitably bent strip 1 of preferably alvanized iron or steel welded or otherwise oined at its ends, said frame being preferably a parallelogram and stiffened by a partition-strip C of similar material extending transversely of the same midway of its ends. The ends of the frames engagie the top and bottom ends of the hollow wa s aforesaid, the ends of the Walls being notched to accommodate said frames. Spring-clips D are snapped on the ends of said walls to bind the same in connection with said frames whe the structure is set up\\ frames or separate fro ithe. same as may be most convenient or-des able in. practice.

The inner sides of th end walls are horizontally slotted, at inter ls vertically oflthe same, for the sliding engag ment therewith of sheet-metal shelves E, the same being preferably galvanized or otherwise treated to render them non-corrosive, and to stiffen these shelves, the same are curled at their front and rear edges. The distance between the shelves may be readilyvaried because of the multiplicity of the slots in the end walls of the structure/enough of each shelf being cut away atits corners to provide for the extension of the same, in the flat beyond its stiffening curls. These shelves may' beperforated orotherwis'e as the trade may demand. v v

Supported-b1; the upper frame of the structure are pans F forholding water, and a cover G is preferably employed in connection with each pan. Pans H for a similar function are set within the confines of the lower frame of said structure, and the ends of preferably these clips being ,att ched tothe aforesald textile absorbent material I, constituting v closures for the otherwise open sides of the aforesaid structure, are laid in the up er and lower pans, said absorbent materia being clamped between the upper frame and pans F set therein.

. By capillary attraction, the water from the upper pans is caused to saturate the absor ent material, and by eva oration of moisture from said material t e temperature within the cooling structure is reduced, this cooling being facilitated, because of the deadair spaces formed by the hollow end walls of said structure. The excess water from the absorbent material is collected in the lower pans to obviate sloppy conditions about the ass of the structure. Cooling structures similar to the one herein shown and described are particularly designed for campers and others not accessible V to. a supply of ice necessary to the successful use of ordinary refrigerators, or as substltutes for such refrigerators when we 1s too expensive, the best results being obtained by exposing the saturated absorbent material to raft. I

By employing covers onthe upper ansloss of .water by evaporation, except mm the absorbent materia is trifhn and hence said pans require less frequent fifiing to supply the water for constant saturation of said absorbent material.

I claim:

1. A cooling structure comprising horizontal upper and lower rectan u ar frames, hollow walls in connection wit the ends of the frames, pans supported by the upper frame, and absorbent material caught vertically between the upper frame and pans to extend into the latter and constitute closures for the otherwise open sides ol vthe structure. 7

2. A cooling structure com rising horizontal upper and lower rectangu ar frames, and hollow walls in connection with the ends of the frames, pans supported by the upper frame, other pans set within the confines of the lower frame, and absorbent material caught vertically between the upper frame and upper pans to extend into all the pans and constitute closures for the otherwise open sides of the structure.

3. A cooling structure comprising hollow end walls of suitably bent sheet metal having the inner sides horizontally slotted. at intervals vertically thereof and shelves having sliding engagement with opposite slots.

4. A-cooling structure comprising hollow end wallsof suitably bent sheet-metal upper vand lower frames in connection with the uper and lower ends of the walls, and shelves aving sliding engagement with opposite in ner side slots of said walls.

5. A cooling structure comprising hollow end walls contracted at the top and bottom, upper and lower rectangular frames engaging recesses provided in the ends of the walls,

spring-clips having snap-engagement with said'walls over the frames, and shelves havin sliding engagement with opposite inner si e slots of said walls.

6. A knockdown cooling structure comprising hollow end walls contracted at'the top and bottom, upper and lower rectangular frames engaging recesses provided in the ends of the walls, means for clamping the walls in connection with the frames,- shelves having sliding engagement with opposite inner side slots of said walls, pans supported by the upper frame, absorbent material caught between said upper frame and pans and adapted to extend into the latter and constitute closures for the otherwise open sides of the structure, and pans set within the confines of the lower frame to receive the lower ends of the absorbent material.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWiscousin in the presence of two witnesses? PETER G. TOEPFER. 

